Edgerton, logistics park host open house

Demdaco representatives Jeff Baker, center, and Edgerton Mayor Don Roberts welcome guests to an open house at the Kansas City Logistics Park. The event was held in the under-construction distribution center that will eventually house Demdaco. Staff photo by Danedri Thompson

Danedri Thompson[email protected]
Secured in place by metal beams, concrete walls surround a ground area the size of more than two footballs fields. The under-construction warehouse at the Logistics Park Kansas City (LPKC) will eventually house Demdaco, an importer of figurines. However, on Saturday, the skeleton of the warehouse hosted dozens of Edgerton and surrounding area residents who ventured to the LPKC site to get a first look at the industrial park.
Edgerton officials, including Mayor Don Roberts, worked alongside local Demdaco representative Jeff Baker and LPKC developer Patrick Robinson serving hamburgers, chips and soda to curious residents on Oct. 5 during an open house.

More than 80 people got a sneak peak of the Logistics Park Kansas City on Oct. 5. Guests were treated to a hamburger lunch served by city staff and logistics park developers. Staff photo by Danedri Thompson

Baker said when Demdaco’s distribution center opens in Edgerton he anticipates the company will have between 40-60 local employees. Many may transfer from Demdaco’s current base of operations in northern Kansas City to Edgerton. Baker said current employees have until January to decide if they’ll move with Demdaco to Edgerton.
“We’re offering all of those people to come with us,” Baker explained.
Though there may not be many full-time jobs available immediately at Demdaco, Baker said the importing company may use temporary employees during peak times.
Demdaco is the smallest of three buildings under construction at LPKC. With its 326,000 square-footage, its footprint is dwarfed by a nearby 500,000 square-foot building nearby.
“This is the current small building we’ve got going in,” Roberts told the crowd.
Robinson said the 500,000 square-foot speculative warehouse, will have the ability to house two or three tenants. In comparison, the Coleman Warehouse in Gardner is more than 1 million square feet.
Roberts said the goal is to attract more companies to the LPKC like the DeLong Company, a grain exporter and Demdaco.
Demdaco anticipates being fully operational at the Edgerton facility by April 30.

Guests at a Kansas City Logistics Park open house last weekend were invited to take the recently-opened Interstate 35 interchange at Homestead Road to access the property. The interchange officially opened on Saturday, Sept. 28. The $32 million interchange, funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, is marked “Exit 205” and serves traffic going to and from Homestead Lane. Photo courtesy of Larry Byers

“We’ve been on this project for about two years,” Baker said. “We looked at other properties around the city, and I’m glad we’re going to come here.”
Baker said once the Demdaco building is operational, the company will probably host another open house.
“We want to make this (distribution center) a showcase for the area,” Baker said.